In reply to handofgod:
> Total and utter rubbish.
> This is a genuine post which of no blame of my own has digressed onto a total different topic.
>
Yes this subject has turned into a naval gazing contest between two contributors and I don't have a clue what they are blithering about and I've switched off.
However Chris is a dang fine photographer, and one who's opinions and views on the subject of photography, like many other posters on this discussion, can be relied upon and trusted to keep you on the right path.
As yet, we are all just guessing about your focusing problems as we have not seen any images that you consider out of focus.
As somebody mentioned above, set your camera to full-on auto, so that it acts like a point-and-click camera. Then take some test shots to see if you still have focus problems. Take the same test shots with your phone so you have something to compare and contrast between both cameras.
If your dslr produces images in focus while on auto, then it's a good bet that you have a learning curve ahead of you.
If the shots are out of focus after being taken using Auto, then the problem is most probably the kit and not you.
I have two further tips to help you improve, and one of those will probably get me accused of blasphemy.
The first suggestion is, when you clamp your camera to a tripod, turn off any image stabilization on the camera or lens. They will freak out on a tripod trying to compensate for non-existent movement from the user.
The second tip, and the one that many on here will scream, burn him, is don't get too hung up on shooting RAW. I have had a dslr since 2005. I only ever used RAW for the first 6 months. I gave up on using RAW for my own sanity and captured straight to JPEG. I found myself spending too much time at a computer processing the RAW images into JPEGs and it put me off taking photos for a while because of the dread of converting.
Admittedly, this was in the days before Lightroom, but it put me right off the learning curve of dslr cameras.
I just cut out the middle man and got the camera to convert to JPEGs. Did this ruin my images?
No. I am not a professional or pixel peeper. I'm a punter, and if the focus and exposure is done right in camera then the JPEGs will be fine too.
Quite a lot of professionals shoot JPEG too when time is of the essence.
Saying all that, I now have a new camera but this time I mix and match between shooting JPEG and RAW. It depends on the subject and situation as to which I choose. But that decision was made with 10 years of getting used to playing with a dslr first.